Independence police officer charged with statutory rape

INDEPENDENCE (AP) — A 37-year-old Independence police officer faces charges accusing him of having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

The Jackson County prosecutor's office said Thursday in a release that James M. Combs is charged with second-degree statutory rape. The prosecutor's office says he's accused of having sex with the girl beginning in 2014 when the victim was 14.

The prosecutor's office says the case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, at the request of the Independence Police Department because Combs is an Independence police officer.